The upcoming launch of the Samsung Galaxy S10 next month is getting leakier by the day, and new live images that Samsung is looking to move into cryptocurrency with the launch.
The images shared on Twitter by Ben Geskin show a ‘Samsung Blockchain KeyStore’ app running on a Galaxy S10 or S10E with a single hole punch in the display – the S10+ has a double-wide hole punch in the display according to the latest renders. The live picture shows a full screen display with very minimal bezels, similar to the ‘in the wild’ shot of the S10+ which leaked recently.
The concept of a hole punch ‘notch’ in the display is a relatively new concept for phones, but looks like a very neat solution for the front facing camera. Samsung appears to have positioned it to sit quite neatly in the status bar with notifications and other status icons.
As far as cryptocurrency is concerned, Samsung will be managing it through an app with the splashscreen stating that it will be a ‘a secure and convenient place for your cryptocurrency’. The app allow you to to either create a new wallet, or import a crypto wallet from supported services, though only Etherium appears to be supported at this stage. SamMobile advises that Samsung will also be supporting Bitcoin, Ethereum-derived token ERC20 and Bitcoin Cash at launch.
New #GalaxyS10 live images leak with ‘Samsung Blockchain KeyStore’
(images via @GregiPfister89) pic.twitter.com/g0FipTooe6
— Ben Geskin (@BenGeskin) January 23, 2019
Samsung will include links to the Blockchain Keystore in the Settings under the Biometrics and Security section, to let them manage their blockchain private key. This inclusion is likely linking it into their Knox security suite for added protection.
As far as wether the cryptocurrency wallet is offered in all markets when the phone is launched is something we’ll have to wait and see. Cryptocurrency is still a very young concept for many countries around the world, and Samsung may concentrate on markets where there’s clearly defined rules and regulations they can adhere to when launching the service.
We’ll know more about the Galaxy S10 and their plans for cryptocurrency when the phones are announced on February 20th in San Francisco.
